European Social Security and Global Politics

The 12 essays in this book explore this vital issue from a number of perspectives. The text represents a partial gleaning of the September 2001 conference of the European Institute of Social Security, held in Bergen, Norway - a leading multidisciplinary research group and the vanguard of the debate on social security in Europe. Fifteen researchers and administrators from all over Europe offer in-depth analysis and conclusions in crucial areas.;In addition to the individual insights advanced in each paper, two notable trends seem to pervade the entire conference. One is the growing divergence of social security policy within European countries, coexisting uneasily with EU measures against social exclusion; the other is the sudden clarity of principle and design in the European welfare state when seen against the virtual anarchy of the globalisation model.

Contents:

Introduction; D. Pieters. Ten European Systems of Social Protection: An Ambiguous Convergence; C. Andre. Globalisation and the Welfare State: More Inequality, Less Redistribution? A. Sandmo. Globalisation, Worker Mobility and Social Protection; D. Crevits, B. Van Buggenhout. Regional Social Security: Are Innovative Developments in Southern Africa Relevant to the European Context? M. Olivier. Globalisation and the Design of the Welfare State; E. Overbye. Towards a Social Globalization: A Blueprint for a Global Social Security Policy; S. D'Haeseleer, J. Berghman. Welfare States within the Globalization Dilemma: The US and the European Social Model in Comparison; G. Vobruba. Perverse Principles of Welfare Reform; R.E. Goodin. Classic Principles and Designs in European Social Security; J. Clasen, W. van Oorschot. The UK and Pensions: Maverick or the Only One in Step? S. Ward. Viewing the Reforming Pension Schemes in Europe: A Parallel Development; M. Novak. European Pension Systems: The Real Challenge of the 21st Century; M. Augusztinovics.